A wide variety of microwaveable food products are presently known. The ones of particular concern to the present disclosure are those in which the construction is used to pop microwaveable popcorn. In general, the related consumer product is a package which includes a popcorn charge. In use, the package, including the unpopped popcorn charge, is positioned appropriately in a microwave oven and is exposed to microwave energy. During the microwave process, the popcorn is popped and the bag expands.
Particular arrangements, to which the present disclosure relate, are those in which the package is flexible bag or pouch, which expands during the popping process. Expandable bag arrangements are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,650,084; 5,302,790; 5,195,829; 5,081,330; 5,044,777; 4,691,374; and 4,548,826, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Each of the patents identified above was developed by Golden Valley Microwave Foods of Edina, Minn. The present application was also developed by Golden Valley Microwave Foods of Edina, Minn.
Referring to U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,777 as an example, certain characteristics of the various microwaveable popcorn packaging described in these references are apparent. First, the bags are generally provided in a configuration having a pair of oppositly positioned side gussets used to separate the internal volume of the bag into first and second "tubes". When the arrangement is filled, generally the popcorn charge is placed in one of the two "tubes" and is substantially retained therein, prior to popping. This is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,777, FIG. 3.
Also, in general the unpopped popcorn charge is positioned in a center portion (typically about the center 1/3) of the arrangement. For many arrangements, during storage, the packaging arrangement is folded into a "trifold" configuration. This is apparent from the drawings and descriptions of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,044,777, 5,195,829 and 5,650,084; and, it is specifically illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,548,826 FIG. 5 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,374, FIGS. 3A and 14.
The type of bag constructions characterized in the references discussed above operate to form, when popped, a bag, which, after being open, is not "free standing". That is, typically the construction is such that after popping the popcorn is preferably poured out of the bag and into a bowl or other container for consumption. This is in part because the bags, once expanded by the popping popcorn, generally have narrow mouths and are rather long.